Since we no longer try Find out who Sauron isbecause we know he is half-rim, it is time to focus fully on another Rings of Power Mystery: Who is the stranger? So, with Rings of Power Season 2 starting on TV schedule 2024 On August 28th, it seemed like the perfect time to dive deep into the theories surrounding this Istari character and his true identity.
Although theories that had nothing to do with wizards began to emerge towards the end of the first season, we can now say with complete certainty that the stranger is Istari, a wizard. What we don’t know, however, is which wizard he is. Even the actor who plays him, Daniel Weyman, doesn’t know (or at least that’s what he said at the end of the first season). When asked if he knew the identity of this mysterious wizard, the actor said: sfy:
No, I don’t think anyone in our world knows the identity of the Stranger, not even the Stranger himself. I’m much more excited by the honesty of this portrayal. I think we’ll get a much better performance from me and therefore the audience will be able to understand the Stranger and empathize with his journey better when I’m there.
In this sense, there was a lot Speculation about who the stranger could be. Now that Season 2 is approaching and his search in Rhûn begins, let’s break down some theories about the identity of Daniel Weyman’s character.
The most popular theory is that the stranger is Gandalf
The most common theory is that the stranger is the popular wizard Gandalf. Rings of PowerWeyman’s character develops a great love for the Harfoots who save him, and in Lord of the ringsGandalf has an affinity with the hobbits. He can also talk to insects, he loves a song, and as Games Radar As mentioned earlier, there is a line in the series where the stranger says to Nori:
Always follow your nose.
You may remember Gandalf saying this to Merry in The Companions to.
Over Reddit People have put a lot of thought into this topic and pointed out various clues that could indicate that the stranger is Gandalf.
Many are convinced by the above notion that the Stranger has an affinity for the Harfoots, just as Gandalf loves the Hobbits. However, @timetraveller1992 went a step further and pointed out that the Stranger sings similarly to Gandalf and “his musical taste seems to have been formed by his presence with the Harfoots.”
Fans have also noticed ScreenRant pointed out that the Stranger uses similar magic to Ian McKellen’s Wizard. He speaks to fireflies in a way similar to how Gandalf speaks to moths. Additionally, both use spells that send ripples through the ground.
Another compelling parallel pointed out by ScreenRant revolved around the wizard’s love of constellations. Their article noted that Gandalf was “allied with Varda,” who was “the creator of the stars in the night sky.” The stranger is fascinated by the constellations in Rings of Powerand he follows one of them on his next quest.
In addition, Weyman said: The stranger’s costume changes During the first season and at the end he wears a robe that is very reminiscent of a wizard.
Pretty convincing, right? However, there are many fans who don’t believe that would happen. Although Gandalf seems to be the most likely option, five wizards were sent by Valar, so it’s entirely possible that the stranger is another magical man.
Could the stranger be Saruman?
It is a well-known fact that Saruman was the first of the Istari to arrive in Middle-earth. In Rings of PowerThe mystics call the stranger The Istar instead of Istar, like Gaming Rant pointed out, which could mean that he is the first of these wizards to arrive. In addition, Nerd noticed that the wizard traveled through Rhûn before The Lord of the Ringsand that’s exactly where The Stranger went at the end of Season 1. It was also explained that, as far as we know, our Gandalf never went to that realm.
Another compelling point regarding the fact that the Stranger is Saruman revolves around the idea that Gandalf only came to Middle Earth at the end of the Second Age, after Sauron was defeated. In particular Rings of Power takes place before this, during Sauron’s renewed rise to power, so it stands to reason that this wizard in the series could be older than Gandalf.
However, as critics and fans of the series have pointed out, changes have been made from the source material, so it’s hard to say whether this will be changed or not. Still, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that the Stranger is the wizard who eventually forms an alliance with Sauron.
Is it possible that the stranger is one of the two blue wizards?
The main argument for the Stranger being one of the two blue wizards has to do with the timing of his arrival. Pallando and Alatar came to Middle Earth in the Second Age. If he was one of those two, it wouldn’t mess up the lore as much as if the Stranger was Gandalf. Also, we don’t know that much about those two, so there’s more room to tell their stories.
You may notice that I didn’t mention Radagast. Like Gandalf, he came later, so that wouldn’t make any sense, at least to me. And if they want to bring forward the arrival of one of these characters, they’ve dropped some very direct hints that it would be Gandalf and not Radagast.
Ultimately, despite the clues, we do not know who the stranger is, and the Rings of Power The team wants it to stay that way. In conversation with ColliderCo-showrunner JD Payne said:
(W)e try to make it fun, where there are multiple possibilities of what that could mean. Could that mean that the stranger is Gandalf and he says that and then says it later? It could definitely mean that. Could it also mean that the stranger is Saruman and you realize that Saruman said that to Gandalf later and then Gandalf said it. You know what I mean? There are always ways to spin it, like you can twist and turn it. There could be some delightful ways out of either possibility. So we like to keep those doors open. It’s fun to engage with the story and think about the possibilities.
Of course it’s fun to delve into the story and all the possibilities it brings, but I also can’t wait to get answers.
Hopefully we’ll get some of that when Season 2 premieres, as The Stranger learns more about himself and how to use his power. In the meantime, in the days leading up to the release of Season 2, you can stream Season 1 of Rings of Power with a Amazon Prime subscription.
